title: Bioengineered kidneys: new sights on a distant horizon.
abstract: The need for renal replacement therapy is currently rising at an annually increasing rate. Current treatment options for patients with end-stage kidney disease include dialysis or organ transplantation. Yet, even though transplant survival has increased due to refined immunosuppressive therapy, morbidity remains high because of organ shortage. Here we discuss a recent publication that describes the transplantation of a bioengineered biocompatible kidney from a decellularized organ scaffold, thus possibly providing a solution to both transplant organ shortage and morbidity associated with long-term immunosuppression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology and Immunology, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstrasse 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kuppe
authors.forename: Katja
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Berger
authors.forename: Bart
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Smeets
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000473:pathology* / Q000502:physiology*; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*